Exhibit 99.1

CONTACT:

Jeff Macdonald

Acorda Therapeutics

(914) 347-4300 ext. 232

jmacdonald@acorda.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Acorda Therapeutics Announces Lauren Sabella Joins as Executive Vice President of Commercial Development

HAWTHORNE, N.Y., January 25, 2010 – Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOR) announced today that Lauren Sabella has joined the Company as Executive Vice President, Commercial Development, reporting to Ron Cohen, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Sabella will have responsibility for Acorda’s commercial operations, including Marketing, Sales and Managed Markets.

“I’m delighted to welcome Lauren Sabella to Acorda’s management team. Lauren has an impressive record of achievement in the pharmaceutical industry, including responsibility for launching and managing several high performing products,” stated Dr. Cohen. “Her expertise and insight further strengthen an outstanding commercial team at Acorda as we prepare for the commercial launch of AMPYRA™.”

Before joining Acorda, Ms. Sabella was the Founder and Principal of Tugboat Consulting Group, an independent consulting practice assisting companies in the commercialization process. Ms. Sabella also served as Corporate Officer and VP of Commercial Development at Altus Pharmaceuticals, with responsibility for all aspects of commercialization. Prior to joining Altus, Ms. Sabella was employed by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals for 18 years in positions of increasing responsibility. In her last role, she served as VP of Sales, Eastern Zone, where she led the successful sales launch of Spiriva and ran both Primary Care and Specialty Divisions, including Neurology, Urology and Cardio/Pulmonary. Prior to this role, she had over ten years of marketing experience where she led several brand launches including Mobic, an NSAID which became a $1 billion dollar brand. Ms. Sabella holds a B.B.A. from Hofstra University.

“It’s a very exciting time to be joining Acorda. The approval of AMPYRA is an important milestone for the MS community and for Acorda, and I’m looking forward to working with the terrific commercial team already in place at the Company to bring this treatment to the market and to maximize its potential,” said Sabella.

About Acorda Therapeutics

Acorda Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing therapies for multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and related nervous system disorders. The Company’s marketed products include AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine), a potassium channel blocker approved as a treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), as demonstrated by an improvement in walking speed; and ZANAFLEX CAPSULES® (tizanidine hydrochloride), a short-acting drug for the management of spasticity. The Company’s pipeline includes a number of products in development for the treatment, regeneration and repair of the spinal cord and brain.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, regarding management’s expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects should be considered forward-looking. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual

results to differ materially, including Acorda Therapeutics’ ability to successfully market and sell Ampyra in the United States and to successfully market Zanaflex Capsules, the risk of unfavorable results from future studies of Ampyra, the occurrence of adverse safety events with our products, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain regulatory approval of Ampyra outside of the United States and our dependence on our collaboration partner Biogen Idec in connection therewith, competition, failure to protect Acorda Therapeutics’ intellectual property or to defend against the intellectual property claims of others, the ability to obtain additional financing to support Acorda Therapeutics’ operations, and unfavorable results from our preclinical programs. These and other risks are described in greater detail in Acorda Therapeutics’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Acorda Therapeutics may not actually achieve the goals or plans described in its forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue reliance on these statements. Acorda Therapeutics disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.